Archive for September 11th, 2011
Posted by Flap in Day By Day
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These are my links for September 11th from 14:05 to 17:21:
- Romney goes after Perry on Social Security – In Florida, the Mitt Romney campaign is distributing a flyer attacking on Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Social Security. It contrasts Perry’s own words (“By any measure, Social Security is a failure”) with Romney’s positions (“Ensuring the program that millions of Americans rely on will be there for our children and grandchildren”). The issues is not simply, as Perry boosters would have us believe, that it is a Ponzi scheme. No, that part is halfway defensible (hence the focus of their commentary) since it addresses the concern that the system as currently configured will go bankrupt. No, the real issue is twofold: Are Perry’s attacks on the very idea of federal retirement benefits reasonable and will he make himself unelectable by defending them?
Perry has suggested in his book that Social Security is unconstitutional (“Social Security is something that we’ve been forced to accept for more than 70 years now. . . . at the expense of respect for the Constitution and limited government”). However in the debate he said he didn’t want to discuss the theoretical issue. (But if it is unconstitutional, why wouldn’t he?)
The Romney team is making several points. First, Perry has said these things frequently; it’s not a matter of backing away from a throwaway line in his book. Second, Romney is betting that even among conservatives this stuff sounds bonkers; in fact, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has suggested as much. And finally, Romney is telling GOP voters that President Obama could essentially copy this sort of flyer, put it on every ad his campaign can manufacture, and make the election not about Obama’s rotten record but about Perry’s extremism.
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Rick Perry has dug himself a hole.
- Amazon reportedly in talks to launch a Netflix for books – In February, Amazon.com launched its long-awaited subscription video-streaming service as part of Amazon Prime, setting itself up to be a serious rival to Netflix. If we’re honest, it has yet to take off but let’s not be too harsh on a service that is essentially a bolt-on to its existing Amazon Prime annual subscription that offers free two day shipping with no minimum purchase amount for $79/year.
Today however we’re hearing reports via the WSJ that Amazon may soon launch a book equivalent of the service, charging a fixed monthly fee for access to a library of books. Amazon will reportedly offer book publishers a substantial fee for their involvement in the program.
The idea isn’t entirely new with services like ‘the library’, booksfree.com and bookswim existing for some time but both are currently primarily for offline paperbacks and hardbacks. There’s also 24symbols which recently launched a near identical offering, but currently only features titles that are public domain rather than premium bestsellers. With Amazon’s Kindle platform and intimate relationships with every premium publisher on the planet, this is a unique new space only the likes of Amazon and Apple are likely to be able to cater to.
- The California Amazon Internet Sales Tax Compromise Signals a Shift to a National Online Tax? » Flap’s California Blog – The California Amazon Internet Sales Tax Compromise Signals a Shift to a National Online Tax?
- Flap’s Links and Comments for September 9th through September 11th | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Links and Comments for September 9th through September 11th #tcot #catcot
Tags: #catcot, #tcot, Amazon, Perry, Pinboard Links, Romney
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These are my links for September 9th through September 11th:
- More ground turkey recalled because of salmonella – Cargill Inc. announced a second recall of ground turkey products Sunday after a test showed salmonella in a sample from the same Arkansas plant tied to a recall issued last month.
The second recall is much smaller than the one the company issued Aug. 3 for 36 million pounds of ground turkey. That recall followed a salmonella outbreak that federal health officials said had sickened 107 people in 31 states, killing one person.
No illnesses have been tied to the second recall, which was initiated after a sample from the company's plant in Springdale, Ark., tested positive for salmonella, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.
Cargill halted production of ground turkey products at the plant Aug. 2 in anticipation of the recall announced the next day, spokesman Mike Martin said. Equipment was taken apart and steam-cleaned. Limited production resumed Aug. 10 after the USDA approved additional anti-bacterial safety measures, Martin said.
The sample that tested positive for salmonella was taken Aug. 24, the USDA said. It was the same strain of salmonella tied to the earlier illnesses, the agency said.
Martin said Cargill added two additional anti-bacterial washes to its processing process in Springdale after the first recall and instituted what he called "the most advanced sampling and monitoring system in the poultry industry."
The problem, he said is that salmonella is "ubiquitous" and can come from soil, water, poultry feed and any number of sources. The challenge for Cargill and other food processors is to try to identify and eliminate the sources, reduce the amount during processing and then test for it.
- Marijuana Use Grows, While Methamphetamine Falls In USA – The main factor to push up overall figures was marijuana usage, the authors explained. From 2007 to 2010 the proportion of people aged 12 years or more to use marijuana rose from 5.8% to 6.9%.
Below are some highlighted details of the survey:
Illicit drug usage among people aged 18-25 years rose from 19.6% to 21.2% from 2008 to 2010 (marijuana usage increase was main factor)
Non-medical use of prescription medicals, inhalants and hallucinogens were at similar levels in 2002, 2009 and 2010
55% of people over 12 years of age who used prescription pain relievers for non-medical reasons during the previous 12 months, got them from a relative or friend for free
Just 4.4% of pain reliever misusers received them from a drug dealer and 0.4% bought them online
The number of methamphetamine users dropped by half from 2006 (353,000) to 2010 (731,000).
Cocaine usage fell from 2.4 million users in 2006 to 1.5 million in 2010
Drinking (alcohol) rates among 12-17 year olds fell from 14.7% in 2009 to 13.6% in 2010
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-09-11 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-09-11 #tcot #catcot
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: 2012 Los Angeles Marathon: Los Angeles Roadrunners Expo – Los Angeles Roadrunner training for the Los Angeles Marathon begins next week:
- Dilbert September 10, 2011 – Bad at Math » Flap’s California Blog – Dilbert September 10, 2011 – Bad at Math
- CLOSURE OF ANTRAL-ORAL FISTULA
– YouTube – We have come along way baby!:
- Day By Day September 10, 2011 – Zoned Out | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – It is all in the hand…..:
- foursquare – Post six mile recovery run in Santa Monica with Alice, Tara and Nancy (@ Ronnie's Diner)
- Twitpic – Share photos and videos on Twitter – Off soon to run an easy 6 miles in Santa Monica and then off to LA Roadrunners Expo. Temps in 60's.
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-09-10 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-09-10 #tcot #catcot
- Main Street Disneyland
– YouTube – Main Street Disneyland
– YouTube
- Into Disneyland
– YouTube – Into Disneyland
– YouTube
- Main Street Disneyland
– YouTube – I uploaded a @YouTube video Main Street Disneyland
- California State Senate Passes Amazon Internet Sales Tax Compromise Legislation » Flap’s California Blog – California State Senate Passes Amazon Internet Sales Tax Compromise Legislation
- Into Disneyland
– YouTube – I uploaded a @YouTube video Into Disneyland
- Into California Adventure
– YouTube – I uploaded a @YouTube video Into California Adventure
- Disneyland Half Marathon Start
– YouTube – I uploaded a @YouTube video Disneyland Half Marathon Start
- Untitled (http://techland.time.com/2011/09/09/twitter-reveals-active-user-number-how-many-actually-say-something/) – 100 Million RT @TIME: How many people are using Twitter? Go ahead. Take a guess (hint: lots of zeroes) | (via @Techland)
- Meghan McCain | Romney | The Daily Caller – I knew I was waiting for this before I decided who to choose RT @DailyCaller: Meghan McCain backs Mitt Romney -
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Daily Extraction: September 9, 2011 – The Daily Extraction: Tooth #7 with a very curved root tip
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- FDA Panel Says Bisphosphonates Need Label Changes on Use Duration | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – FDA Panel Says Bisphosphonates Need Label Changes on Use Duration #tcot #catcot
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: Millionaire U.K Dentist Fined For Using Dead Man’s Parking Permit on His Ferrari – Millionaire U.K Dentist Fined For Using Dead Man's Parking Permit on His Ferrari
- Flap’s Links and Comments for September 8th through September 9th | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Links and Comments for September 8th through September 9th #tcot #catcot
Tags: #catcot, #tcot, Drugs, Marijuana, Methamphetamine, Pinboard Links, Salmonella, Turkey
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